Today’s match between Liverpool and Manchester City is — make no mistake about it — one of the biggest events in sports this year (Watch live at 8:07pm ET on NBCSN and online via NBC Sports Live Extra). Between the race for the Premier League crown and the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest days in the world of athletics, today is momentous.
Here’s Liverpool, title-starved but sitting first in the league with a chance to all-but-end its hunger on an extremely-emotional day against the major obstacle in its way: Manchester City.
And City, perhaps rightfully counting its matches-in-hand as the reason it is the No. 1 team in the Premier League. After all, the Reds have played two less than Liverpool and wins in both contests would erase the 4-point deficit that sees them in second place.
After all Premier League matches held a moment of silence to honor the Hillsborough 96 on Saturday, and began matches seven minutes later, Liverpool will pay its respects to the supporters it lost almost a quarter-century ago.
Our own Joe Prince-Wright is live from Anfield and will be giving you plenty to feast on as they day progresses. In the meantime, here’s his primer on how Hillsborough changed English football, as well as Richard Farley‘s Premier League Preview of the match.
WATCH LIVE ON NBCSN AND ONLINE VIA NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
No surprises from Liverpool’s XI for this huge tilt, while Vincent Kompany finds his way to fitness and Edin Dzeko will be the man in the focus of City’s strike force along with David Silva. What are your predictions.
LINEUPS
Liverpool: Mignolet, Johnson, Flanagan, Sakho, Skrtel, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling, Suarez, Sturridge
Subs: Jones, Toure, Agger, Aspas, Moses, Allen, Lucas
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, Nasri, Silva, Dzeko
Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Milner, Negredo, Kolarov, Garcia, Aguero
